I need to remove and replace the shifter shaft on an '09 Sportster Iron.

Searched forums but couldn't find anything on instructions. Mechanic says about 2 hours for the job so I figure it can't be that hard to do myself.

Any guidelines on how to accomplish this? Any special tools necessary?

Thanks.

 

When you say "shifter shaft" are you referring to the part that goes into the tranny? Or the shifter pedal?
I figure you do mean the pedal, and not the shaft that goes into the tranny, since that shouldn't be a problem on an '09 bike.
If you are just putting on a new shifter pedal, that is simple and you should be able to figure it out yourself just by looking at it for a minute. It shouldn't take a rookie anymore than 30-45 minutes to change a shift pedal.
If it is the shaft, you need to get a manual to do that if you want to try it yourself with no previous knowledge of the part.

 

I am referring to the splined shaft going into the transmission -- not the shifter arm or peg. I'm looking into the manuals on eBay but wanted to see if anyone's removed the shifter shaft so I can get some instructions, pointers, and things to look out for.

 

I haven't done that, so can't help right now. If no answers by late tonight when I get home from work, I'll look in my manual to get you an idea.

What happened to yours that it needs replaced already???

 

Layed it down. Wet road, dark morning, and driver ahead slammed brakes approaching intersection - not sure why. Minor scrapes on body and bike. Everything is an easy fix except for shifter shaft. Lucky in every respect.

I've never taken the primary cover off so I'm not sure what's involved. (i.e. Do I need to lift the bike? Drain pan? Refill a fluid? Special tools? Extra components needed in replacing shaft (gaskets, washers, etc.)? Just general info like that. I'm no mechanic but I figured out how to replace my car's CV joint on my own so I don't imagine it being that hard to do this.

 

Shifter shaft removal looks easy, no special tools required, just a torque wrench. You will need a new primary cover gasket, derby cover gasket and the shifter shaft seals. A service manual will help a lot. Drain the primary/transmission while the bike is on the side stand. You should get a quart(1 liter) of oil out. You can replace it with Harley gear lube or NON-synthetic 20w50 motor oil. If you don't have a bike lift, you could lean the bike against a wall. Wrap a bungy cord or rope around the brake lever to prevent the bike from rolling. Follow the procedures in the service manual, it should take you less then 3hrs. to complete.

 

Thanks. I just got the manual off eBay so I'll probably tackle it in the near future.

Appreciate all the help.

 

I dropped mine 1 week after I got it. Bent the shaft enough to make the shifter arm rub against the primary cover. I just removed the shifter arm and (carefully) bent it back straight with a piece of 1/2 in. pipe. Then put the shifter arm back on. No problems, no seal leaks.

 

Going on a similar train of thought, another alternative I just discovered is that I only need to pull the shifter arm about 1/16" to 1/8" OUTBD to get more than ample clearance so the arm doesn't hit the primary cover (on FWD side by the peg). Then tighten the Allen head fastener and you're all set.

If you need to move it out more than that, or don't want to move it out at all, you can:

Get the new shifter arm, and carefully bend it away from the bike on a vice ensuring the bend is as uniform as possible and somewhere near the middle of the arm -- i.e. away from the fastener holes. Again, you're bending the shifter arm, not the part that goes into the transmission. And you're doing this with the arm OFF the bike and onto a vice. That way you are not applying pressure on the transmission; and I doubt it would look aesthetically bad if you only bend the arm 1/8". Then install the arm into the bent shaft, and finally install the shifter peg.

Of course, no way to know if any damage was caused to the transmission during the fall and ideally the best option would be to replace the bent shifter shaft and inspect the transmission when the primary is pulled. But at least it's a simple and cheap alternative that can get the bike moving.

Hope this helps any other folks out there.

 

[QUOTE=vulcho;
Of course, no way to know if any damage was caused to the transmission during the fall and ideally the best option would be to replace the bent shifter shaft and inspect the transmission when the primary is pulled. But at least it's a simple and cheap alternative that can get the bike moving.
Hope this helps any other folks out there.[/QUOTE]

You cant inspect the transmission through the primary on a 09, You have to crack the case. No way would I run a bent shaft or even try bending it back! No telling what damage you can do to your tranny running like that. I would pull the primary cover and replace it! Just my .02.